New Franchise to Capture Excitement of College Football Season Kickoff

onAugust 6, 2008byNeil S. Velleman

(August 6, 2008 – TMRZoo.com) College GameDay, College Football Live and More to Originate From Atlanta as Part of Kickoff Week Presented by Gillette

ESPN will celebrate and capture the anticipation and enthusiasm of the start of the college football season with the first annual ESPN Kickoff Week Presented by Gillette featuring college football content across multiple ESPN platforms August 25 to September 1. This year’s event will be highlighted by extensive live programming from Atlanta — site of the ESPN on ABC Saturday Night Football telecast pitting Alabama vs. Clemson in the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff Game August 30 at 8 p.m. ET – including College GameDay Built by The Home Depot and College Football Live. Highlights:

Twenty-four games televised over five days, plus extensive college football discussion, analysis and features across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN360.com, ESPNEWS, ESPN.com, ESPN Radio, ESPN Classic, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN International, ESPN The Magazine and SportsCenter;
College GameDay Built by The Home Depot and College Football Live, as well as segments during SportsCenter and ESPNEWS, originating from Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park. College Football Live originating from Los Angeles 0n Labor Day Monday, Sept. 1, at 3:30 p.m., site of Tennessee at UCLA that night at 8 p.m. on ESPN.
A four-hour College Football Live Wednesday, Aug. 27, at 7 p.m. on ESPN2 and a three-hour SportsCenter special Thursday, Aug. 28, at noon on ESPN;
The ESPN Kickoff Week Festival Presented by Gillette in Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park, a six-hour fan festival featuring a variety of interactive elements August 30 at noon;

24 Games in Five Days
Kickoff Week Presented by Gillette will include 24 games on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN360.com, ESPN Classic, ESPN Radio and ESPN Mobile TV Thursday, Aug. 28 to Monday, Sept. 1.

In addition to Alabama vs. Clemson and Tennessee at UCLA, Kickoff Week will include defending BCS National Champion LSU hosting defending Football Championship Subdivision Champion Appalachian State, USC at Virginia, Illinois vs. Missouri, Utah at Michigan, Kentucky at Louisville and the second of two Labor Day games pitting Fresno State at Rutgers (Schedule of games below).

College GameDay, College Football Live & More in Atlanta; College Football Live in LA
ESPN will provide extensive studio coverage as part of Kickoff Week, including College GameDay, College Football Live, SportsCenter and ESPNEWS from Atlanta.

College GameDay, entering its 22nd season, will be aired every Saturday at 10 a.m. on ESPN during the college football season beginning August 30. This year will mark the 15th consecutive year College GameDay will consistently originate from the site of one of the day’s best games or most compelling storylines. Chris Fowler will return as host with the analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard.

College Football Live, a year-round weekday afternoon studio show dedicated to college football, will originate from Atlanta Thursday, Aug. 28 and Friday, Aug. 29 and Los Angeles Monday, Sept. 1. The program will be aired all three days at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN. Dari Nowkhah will host the shows from Atlanta with analysts Robert Smith and Trevor Matich. Rece Davis will host the program from Los Angeles with analysts Mark May and Lou Holtz.

In addition to extensive news, features and analysis, SportsCenter and ESPNEWS will offer daily coverage from Atlanta August 28-30.

Seven Hours of Preview
ESPN and ESPN2 will provide fans with seven hours of preview shows leading up to the kickoff beginning with the four-hour College Football Live Wednesday, Aug. 27, at 7 p.m. on ESPN2. ESPN will televise a three-hour SportsCenter special Thursday, Aug. 28, at noon on ESPN. Both shows will include segments from Atlanta.

ESPN Kickoff Week Festival Presented by Gillette
The six-hour ESPN Kickoff Week Festival will be held in Atlanta’s Centennial Park Saturday, Aug. 30, beginning at noon. The festival will feature a kickoff-themed version of ESPN The Magazine’s Gridiron Tour, interactive games, entertainment activities, and food and beverages.

ESPN Kickoff Week Presented by Gillette Schedule
ESPN360.com will simulcast every ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic and ABC split national game

Date Time Network Game
Mon., Aug. 25 3:30 p.m. ET ESPN College Football Live

Tue., Aug. 26 3:30 p.m. ET ESPN College Football Live

Wed., Aug. 27 3:30 p.m. ET ESPN College Football Live
7 p.m. ET ESPN2 College Football Live

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